


The First Day

by famouslastnerds (idkbro)



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M, Teacher AU, cute mr way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-03-21 19:46:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkbro/pseuds/famouslastnerds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the first day of school and there's a new music teacher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was the first day of school again and Mr. Way was straightening up his potted plants just right so they would get the perfect amount of sunlight. He ruffles his bleached hair, wondering who his classes would consist of this year. Sure, he would have some people who he'd taught in previous years, but the best part of his job was teaching the kids who he had never taught. Gerard Way loves introducing students to the world of art and self expression, especially when he could empower the kids to create. It was always nice to see the more introverted students break out of their shells when they realized what they were capable of.

The first bell rings and Gerard nervously wipes his hands on his periwinkle sweater as the students began filing through his door. One by one, they each take a seat, taking in the surroundings, hoping that this class wouldn't be too demanding. Well, Gerard hoped his class would be a break from the usual stresses of the school.

He sits on the edge of his desk until the second bell rings, looking to make sure every seat is filled, before starting to speak. “Is everyone here?” The students respond with a small chorus of  “yeah”.

“Ok.” Gerard says, pausing to check off all the names in his attendance book. “Ok, so I’m Mr. Way.” He gets up to write his name elaborately on the board, complete with a flower. “And this is art, um,” He checks the schedule written in green gel pen, “Art for beginners. Who here considers themselves an artist?” A few hands went up, but the majority of hands stayed down.

“Well,” Gerard says, “I think that all of you are artists already, by creating art or just being you. I believe that-” He was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. “Come on in, we’re just beginning!”

The door opens to reveal a man with dark hair and wearing a suit that reveals a bit of ink on his neck. “Hey, I’m, uh, Mr. Iero. The new music teacher?”

For a second, Gerard forgets how to talk, but soon snaps out of the daze.“Oh, sorry, I’m Mr. Way, the art teacher. We’re just starting, d’you want to come in?”

“No, um, I was just wondering if I could ask some of your students to join the after school music program. Art and music go hand in hand, and the music department is low on participation, especially in the after school program.”

“That’s true. Hey guys,” Gerard inquires his students, “If you’d be interested in music, the after school program is very fun. Music is, unfortunately, not my skill set, but it’s a great talent to have.”  
“Thanks Mr. Way. If any of your students have any questions, my class is just two doors to the left.” Mr. Iero turns to leave.

“Mr. Iero.” Gerard blurts out, blushing slightly and looking down, slightly embarrassed.

“Yes.” Mr. Iero turns around, but not enough to see Gerard’s apparent blush.

“It seems like you don’t have a class right now, would you like to stay for first period?”

“No, I’ve actually got to get a few things that I need to finish. Thanks though.”

“Okay, have a nice morning Mr. Iero.”

“You too.” Mr. Iero says and leaves. Gerard turns back to his class, still blushing.

“Now, what was I talking about?” Gerard thinks out loud, “Oh yeah, everyone’s an artist! You’re all artists simply because you exist and there is something unique in all of you. Through this course, you will hopefully find that one piece of yourself that stands in defiance of society’s image of normality. And maybe you are that image of normality, which is unique, because you are the only one with that!” Gerard stops for a second, noticing a few students with pencils and paper ready for notetaking. “This is art class, this is art. Nobody can tell you what is or isn’t art, so I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to ask you to put away your notes. Sorry.” He watches as the few students pack their stuff away.

“Okay okay, so now if you feel comfortable, tell us all one thing that makes you unique. I’ll start. Oh- and also tell me your names, even though I’m horrible with names. Sorry. So I’m Mr. Way, Gerard, if you want to know my actual name and I, well, I believe that teaching can be an art form. Okay, who’s next?”

A girl in the front row raises her hand and Gerard picks on her, “Um, I’m Lynn and I’ve never been in an art class before. So, yeah.”

“Well, I hope this will be fun for you.” Gerard replies.

Gerard picks on a smaller boy in the back, who says, “My name’s Alex and what I think is pretty cool is that I have a twin. I don’t know. That’s cool, right?”

“That’s so cool, are you kidding?!” Gerard exclaims, “I always wished that I’d have a twin, but alas, I am twinless.”

After a bit, Gerard has heard many interesting facts about his new students. “So that’s everyone. If you want to talk about anything privately, I’m always open for conversation. My room is an absolutely judgement free area.” He turns around to search his desk, "Despite the fact that art has no boundaries, I am obligated to make a syllabus for my class. But I actually don't know where I put them- actually, I don't even think I printed them out. So basically, we're going to go over the basics of art and touch into a bit of art history. But mostly, this class is about discovering who you are as an artist and as a person." Gerard continues to explain the course for the rest of the hour, only stopping when he realizes that he forgot to drink his tea, which had turned cold. By the time class had ended, Gerard has talked them through the course, as well as asking for advice on how to make the class better. When the bell rings, the students exit the class, assured that art will not be a stressful class for them.

For the next few hours before lunch, Gerard explains course outlines and gets to know each of his classes. By the time lunch comes around, Gerard is exhausted, but determined to seem enthusiastic for his students. In addition to this, his favorite whiteboard marker was beginning to run out of ink. So, he does what any logical adult would do, which is to ask someone else if they could lend him a marker. It just so happened that Mr. Iero was walking out of his classroom at the same time as Mr.Way.

“Hey!” Gerard says, approaching the music teacher, “Do you have an extra dry-erase marker?” Mr. Iero, turns around to meet Mr. Way’s eyes, seeming slightly surprised by Gerard’s approach.

“Um, yeah, just wait a second... I’m sure I’ve got one in my desk. Just wait a second.” Mr. Iero goes back into his classroom and begins to search his desk, fixated on finding a marker. Gerard can’t help but notice how cute he looks, slightly frustrated with his search for a marker. He blushes at the thought, trying to hide it as Mr. Iero focuses back at him. “Sorry, I don’t even think I can find my own marker. I need to work on organization, y’know, like, I’m a fucking teacher, I should be like a role model and shit.”

“No, it’s fine,” Gerard insists, “You’ll get used to it. I can just ask someone else for a marker, it’s not a big deal.”

Mr. Iero smiles a bit, “Thanks,” He stands there awkwardly for a few seconds, leaning on his desk, thinking. “Oh- I almost forgot,” He recalls, “I was gonna get sushi for lunch, do you want to maybe come with me? I mean, unless you’ve got something else.”

“ I don’t have a class directly after lunch, so I’ve got time.” Gerard says, blushing apparently now, “So, sushi sounds great.”

......

They arrive at the sushi place after a ten minute drive in awkward silence. Gerard kept wanting to ask Frank about himself and Frank kept wanting to ask Gerard about himself, but neither of them opted to speak. When they arrive, after they’ve bought the food and sat down, Frank finally speaks, “So, how long have you been teaching here?”

Gerard finishes a piece of sushi, “For like three years, I think. Yeah, three years.”

“Well,” Frank says, “You’ve built up a reputation at the school for having been there for only three years. I’ve heard a bit about you from my students so far.”  
Gerard blushes at the thought of Frank talking about him with his students. “All good things, I hope?”

“Yeah, obviously, they love you.” Frank replies and Gerard grins. Frank can’t help but notice how cute his smile is, but he quickly dismisses the thought.

“Good. I really try to make sure their school experience is nothing like mine was. High school isn’t easy, y’know?”

“Yeah, I totally know what you’re saying.” Frank says, “High school was the worst. But for some reason I’m still at a fucking high school.”

“It’s different though, I mean, there’s got to be a reason you became a teacher.”

“Well, obviously, it’s not because of the paycheck.” Frank says, but then shrugs, “I don’t know, I love music and I want other people to love music too. So far, my job’s not too hard. The kids who love music, they love music. And the kids who don’t, they don’t know music.”  
“It’s the same with my classes. You’ve just got to show the kids that another way to think about things.” Gerard says, checking his watch. “We should go soon.” He stands up and begins picking up the empty sushi containers. As he reaches for the tub of soy sauce, though, his hand brushes up against Franks, and he quickly pulls his hand back.

Once they are back in the car, Frank says, “That was fun.”

“Yeah,” Gerard says, “It was.”  
“Maybe we could, um, maybe we could do that again some time?”

“We could. Definitely.” Gerard hopes that his blush isn’t as apparent as it feels. He should not have a crush on this new music teacher. He definitely can’t act like he is going on a date with the new music teacher, who was probably straight. And it isn’t helping that he is very hot. Mr. Way is so screwed and it’s only the first day of the school year.

 

 


	2. the second day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is screwed.

The next day, Gerard had spent his entire lunch period daydreaming and doodling in his tea-stained notebook, forgetting to eat. He keeps thinking about that new music teacher, for some reason he is obsessed with the way his smile curved and the way his hair parted. He just can’t get Mr. Iero out of his head.

Speaking of Mr. Iero, he had been waiting outside Gerard's door, debating whether or not he should knock. He needs to see if he could borrow some paper, but he also wonders if Gerard would want to eat lunch with him again, seeing as Gerard is one of the only teachers that he had actually spoken to. So, he finally decides to knock, which seems easier than what he had built it up to be.

"Come in!" Gerard exclaims enthusiastically in response to the knock on his door. Mr. Iero steps in, causing Gerard to blush and look down at his sketchbook. He then, realizing that all he had drawn was Frank, shuts his sketchbook hurriedly.

"Hi, um, what's up?" Frank asks awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Not much, lunch, I guess. What about you, Frank?" Gerard replied, equally awkward, but trying to cover up the awkwardness.

"Do you have some paper I could borrow, not like nice paper, but like normal paper? I kinda ran out."

"Yeah sure, totally," Gerard says, standing up to go search through the art room's assortment of papers, "how much do you need?"

"Just a few sheets." Frank says as Gerard hands him the paper, "Oh, and do you mind if I hang out in here?"

Gerard pauses for a minute, feeling himself blush even more. He stands there for a moment, frozen, unable to think. "Well, uh, sure, okay, that's cool." Gerard hurries to pull an extra chair from the corner of his room up to his desk. "Here, have a seat." Frank complies and sits at the desk, while Gerard sits in his own seat across the desk.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't really know any of the other teachers here and-"

"No, it's fine, I completely get it. I hadn’t even begun to eat.” Gerard says and pulls out a paper bag with doodles all over it. Frank observes the bag with a curious expression, noticing that the drawings had all been done with purple gel pens. Gerard notices the look Frank is giving him, and explains, “I have extra time and extra gel pens. I love doodling.”

“No shit...” Frank says, admiring the effort that Gerard seemed to have put into such a small thing.

“It’s kinda weird, I know.” Gerard says, smiling a bit, then shrugs, “There’s a reason I went into art.”

“It’s not weird, it’s cool.” Frank insists, meeting Gerard’s eyes, only then noticing the small flecks of glitter that reflected light off of his skin, like shiny freckles. He leans closer to see if it’s actually glitter and Gerard notices, his heart beginning to race at the thought of them being at a close proximity.

He also notices that Frank is noticing the glitter that he “spilled” on himself. “It’s glitter.” Gerard says, answering the unspoken question. “I was working on a piece that required glitter and I might have gotten some on myself. Accidently, of course.”

“I’m sure it was completely accidental.” Frank says with a sarcastic undertone, smirking. Gerard giggles and Frank can’t help but notice that his giggle is amongst the cutest things he’s ever heard.

“It was mostly accidental!” Gerard says, still giggling, “Glitter is my weakness.”

“Glitter seems more like a strength than a weakness, to be honest. It really fits you.” Franks confesses. Gerard is sure that he’s blushing at this point, but he doesn’t really care, he’s enjoying himself.

“Ok, ok.” Gerard says, “So, how was your first day teaching here?”  
“It was pretty good, obviously it had some ups and downs, but lunch was pretty great-”  
“Lunch was pretty cool.” Gerard interrupts, remembering his almost-kinda-not-really date with Frank.

“Yeah, it was. And then I enlightened some students on how school is not entirely shitty.” Frank finishes his statement.

“That’s the best part of teaching, y’know?”

“I know. It’s insane how horrible some teachers here treat their students. It’s not like they don’t have lives and shit outside of school.”  
“I know, right!?” Gerard exclaims, agreeing very obviously. They both continue to discuss the current state of the education system and all of its flaws, until the bell rings and lunch has ended. Neither Frank nor Gerard have eaten anything because they had been talking the whole time.

Frank rushes to get to his classroom and get his shit together before his students come rushing into his class. When his class begins, he tries to teach his students, but just cannot focus on teaching. His productive thoughts are blocked by thoughts of Gerard and his strange gel pen doodles and his glitter freckles. No matter what he tries, Frank can’t forget the weird, but cute, art teacher. His mind kept wandering off to the fact that he was only a few classrooms away, probably not thinking about him.

In the end, Frank just ends up allowing his students to do homework during his class period. While announcing this, he thinks of the conversation he had with Gerard about how overworked the students are, so he also suggests that his students simply chill during his class period. Frank cannot take his mind off of the cute art teacher, no matter what he tries. Mr. Iero is so screwed, and they’ve only just met. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't expect to write a second chapter this quickly but i had ideas so here u go


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard and Frank must yet again take on another day

Gerard wakes up to a text message from his brother, Mikey, asking if he wants to come see a “rad band” that evening. Thinking it over, Gerard considers the fact that it’s a school night, but he also considers the fact that he hadn’t spent time with Mikey for a while. While Gerard didn’t really do the whole “bar scene”, Mikey did and Gerard loves spending time with him. So, he texts back that he’ll meet him there, and that he is psyched to see the show.

Gerard then checks the time, which is 6:09. He usually wakes up at around 6:15, so the timing of Mikey’s text was perfect. He has enough time to spend a few extra minutes appreciating the warmth of the shower and then perfecting his coffee. His hair luckily doesn’t require too much attention, so he simply runs his fingers through the bleach-blond strands. From his closet, he pulls a pastel pink sweater to slip over his formal button-down. He ties his white converse and observes himself in the mirror. After adding a flowered barrette to his hair, Gerard is satisfied with how he looks, so he gathers his things and leaves for work.

////

Frank wakes up to the sound of his alarm blaring into his ear. 6:30 is way too early for anyone to be awake, in his opinion. He crankily sits up in his bed, observing his open closet from a distance, trying to find some clothes without having to actually get up. He doesn’t have to be at school until second hour, but it takes him a while to wake up.

He first drags himself into the shower, slowly beginning to wake up. He then stares at his closet for fifteen minutes before deciding on wearing the same outfit that he had been wearing. Different clothes, but all the white shirts and black pants look identical to each other. The only variation in his clothes is the red tie, which is replacing a black tie that Frank had worn yesterday. He makes his coffee while eating burnt toast, but Frank doesn’t fucking care, he still isn’t awake.

By the time Frank gets into his car, the caffeine from his coffee has begun to kick in and he checks his reflection in the car’s mirror. He attempts to flatten his hair, but it seems to have a mind of its own, so he ignores it.  The rings under his eyes are apparent, but Frank doesn’t care, he just needs to stay awake for his drive to work.

////

Gerard has just finished with his first hour class when he sees a very tired Frank walk past his classroom, looking half dead, but intent on finishing his coffee. He also watches as Frank trips over a student’s backpack and spills the coffee all over himself. Gerard hurries to help him clean up the mess, equipped with a roll of paper towels.

“Thanks.” Frank says, grabbing paper towels from Gerard and trying to get rid of the stains on his previously white shirt.

“No problem.” Gerard replies, tearing off another paper towel for Frank. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just,” Frank yawns, “Exhausted.”  

“Well, maybe you should try sleeping more. Or yoga. But you don’t really seem like a yoga person.”

“Nah, I’m just not a morning person. Also, I practice with my band at night and we usually play until very, um, late.”

“Oh, you have a band. That’s cool.” Gerard says, smiling.

“Yeah.” Frank says, smiling back at him, “I guess it is.” He breaks their eye contact to notice that his shirt is still covered in coffee. “Do you have any extra shirts or something, I mean, you probably don’t, but if you did, it’d be awesome if-”  
“Yeah, sure, don’t worry. I’m an artist, I’m always messing up my shirts.” Gerard leads him into his classroom, pulling out a pastel blue button-down. “Sorry about the color. I get the feeling it’s not really your favorite color. But it’ll still look great on you.” Gerard says and regrets it the moment the words come out of his mouth. _Shit_ , he thinks, _I wasn’t supposed to make it_ that _apparent_. He blushes deeply, suddenly unable to make eye contact with the other teacher.

Frank is also shocked at the wording of the sentence, but also grateful for the shirt, no matter what color it is. “Thanks.” After standing for a few seconds in an awkward silence, he says, “Um, I have to go to my class. I’ll get the shirt back to you tomorrow, if that’s ok with you.”

“Yeah. That’s, uh, that’s ok.” Gerard says, still staring at the ground, listening to Frank leave his classroom as his students begin to fill his classroom. He doesn’t move until he is sure that Frank’s gone, mentally smacking himself at how stupid he sounded.

Gerard begins to teach his class, sure that he’s still blushing with embarrassment. However, his art class is calming and he gets pulled into the serenity of of observing his students sketch. Not only does he have more classes to look forward too, but he has a night out with his brother to look forward too. His day doesn’t have to be ruined if he doesn’t want it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah rad im on break so im like writing a shit ton of stuff. u guys r vry rad for reading this i appreciate it so much!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard and Mikey chill at the bar.

Gerard arrives to the bar at the same time as Mikey, which is around 9:45. They exchange hellos and talk about what they’ve had going on. Mikey brings up the fact that they need to hang out more often, which Gerard enthusiastically agrees to.

“So, any cool classes?” Mikey inquires.

“They’re all cool, you know that.” Gerard says, shrugging.

“Okay, whatever, I can’t trust you for an unbiased opinion. I should know that by now.”

“I guess. But honestly, this year is going to be great. I can tell.”

“Whatever you think, bro. Anyways, did I tell you about my boyfriend?” 

“What? You know you can text me? Like, you don’t have to wait until we see each other in person to tell me stuff? Since when do you have a boyfriend? Who is he? Is he nice?” Gerard bombards his little brother with questions.

“Oh my god, I’ll tell you about him later. Don’t worry about me though, I can take care of myself.” Mikey says, folding his arms.

“Well, if you need relationship advice or something, call me, okay?” Gerard suggests.

“Yeah, like you’ve had that much experience with relationships.” Mikey scoffs, “The last time you went on a date, you were in college.”

“That’s not _exactly_ true.” Gerard says, thinking back to his almost-date with Frank.

“Whatever you think.” Mikey says, rolling his eyes and pulling Gerard closer to the crowded area, “C’mon, I think the band is about to come on.”

Gerard follows him into the crowd, focusing on not stepping on people’s toes. He can hear his brother talking about the band, but the noise from everyone else’s conversations block out his voice. Finally, Mikey stops walking and they look at the stage as the band enters and someone pushes into Gerard, pushing him out of the way. He looks to see who it is, just as Mikey says, “Hey, their singer dude is hot. Totally talk to him after the show.”

Their singer begins to introduce the band and Gerard looks up to the stage to see what Mikey is talking about. A familiar voice rings out, “Hey, we’re Pencey Prep, and this song is called Yesterday.”

Gerard almost loses his balance.

////

Frank walks out on stage and introduces his band, then cues the beginning of the song. They play through half of their planned set when Frank sees a familiar color of pastel blue through the crowd of dark colored shirts. He squints to see if it’s actually him, and there’s no denying that it’s the same Mr.Way that he had lunch with on the first two days of school. Who also happens to be the same Gerard that he may or may not like. A lot.

When Pencey Prep finishes their next song, Frank signals to them that they’re changing the next song. They start playing and Frank searches for Gerard in the crowd, finally making eye contact as he begins to sing.

_“Caught staring again,_

_Like a deer in headlights._

_When I can't move fast enough,_

_I take a hit for the team._

_Pretty girl is blushing,_

_I can't tell if she's disgusted._

_Laughter starts to swell._

_Someone gets the joke._

_Bell rings, I make my escape,_

_It helps a little but doesn't save-”_

After a bit, Frank closes his eyes, focusing on singing, but hoping Gerard got the message. Maybe he didn’t, but at least Frank tried, which is, in Frank’s opinion, just as good as accomplishing anything.

////

When the set is done, Mikey and Gerard meander over to the bar, where Mikey points out the fact that the singer from the band was staring at Gerard, or at least seemed to be.

"I know." Gerard says, confused.

"Do you, like, know him? Or something?" Mikey asks, also confused.

"Yeah," Gerard says, "He teaches at the same school that I teach at."

"No fucking way. Holy shit. You're so fucked."

"I know, right?" Gerard says, noticing Frank in the corner of his eye and turning slightly away from him. "Look, I have to maintain some sort of professionalism. Besides, I think he's, y'know, not into guys?"

"How are you gonna find out if you never ask?" Mikey insists, "Go. Talk to him. Seriously."

"But-"

"Do it." So, Gerard gives in to his brother, pushing through people to find Frank. Honestly, he thinks that this is one of the worst decisions he could have ever made. But he can't say no to his little brother.

Turns out, Frank finds him before he finds Frank, who taps him on the shoulder, "Hey."

"Hey." Gerard replies, unsure of what to say.

"What did'ya think of my band?" Frank asks, sounding slightly drunk.

"You guys are pretty good. It was, um, yeah, great." Gerard says.

"We changed the setlist." Frank says bluntly.

"Oh?" Gerard says, noticing Frank's intoxicated state.

"Well, _I_ changed the setlist. I changed it for you."

"Really?" Gerard says, very unsure of what to say, "Wow. Thanks, I guess?"

Frank steps closer to him, and whispers loudly, "You know I like you."

Gerard nods, heart racing. "I like you too. But you're kinda drunk."

" I know." Frank replies, "Had to be."

"I have to go," Gerard says, spotting Mikey in the distance and seeing a way out of his awkward position, "but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh." Frank says, looking disappointed, "Bye."

"Drink lots of water when you get home." Gerard says, smiling as he  walks away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh this chapter was kinda expected, sorry. :/


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another reason to get their shit together. or get together. or both.

Frank arrives at school the next day with a headache and fuckloads of regret. On his way to his classroom, he takes every step he can take to avoid Mr. Way, and succeeds. Once he is in his class, Frank collapses in his chair and takes another aspirin. His 9, at first, seem too preoccupied with their exhaustion to notice Frank's distress. However, when they are all settled in, one of his students, Hayley, he thinks, asks, "Are you okay, Mr. Iero?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He says, standing up and walking over to his whiteboard.

"Are you sure?" Another student, Josh, inquires, "'Cause you don't look okay. Sorry."

"Yeah, I just had a bit to drink last night. It's no big deal though." Frank says, being honest with his class, "Now, we're gonna review chords."

Before he can start his lesson though, another student decides to interrupt, "Water helps. Just saying."

Frank is tempted to ask them where they got this knowledge from, but he remembers that his high school years were not innocent at the least. He also remembers how last night Gerard had also suggested that he should drink water.

"Thanks. I think I'm fine though." Frank insists, "So, um, chords. Who knows them?"

/////

Gerard comes to school wanting to talk to Frank. But he also kinda doesn't. What if Frank doesn't actually like him? What if he was just saying that cause he was drunk? So many questions run through Gerard's head, so he just decides to let it play itself out.

Gerard begins his class, determined to act normally, but halfway throughout the hour, he can't keep up his act. So, he does what he usually does to distract himself, he talks with his class.

"So, uh, how's the first few days of school going for you guys?" He asks as they sketch.

They reply with a few "pretty good"s and a few "it sucks". Nothing out of the ordinary. Until one of his students decide to bring up the new music teacher.

"Yeah," the student, Tyler, says, "he's pretty good. Nicer than the old one. He lets us do homework in class. So, I guess that's cool."

"I haven't heard much about him," Gerard says, trying not to blush so apparently, "but he sounds very nice."

"My friend texted me that he came into class hungover this morning!" Taylor exclaims, "She said that it was hilarious."

Gerard giggles, "I know," he says, "His band was playing at the bar last night. And he was kinda drunk."

"I thought you 'haven't heard much about him'?" Alex asks, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Well, I don't." Gerard says, shrugging, "I've only spoken to him a few times." Thinking about the few times they had talked makes him blush. And everyone in the class notices.

"Do you like him or something?" Lynn asks earnestly. Gerard shrugs, unable to lie to his class, but also not wanting to tell the truth.

“I mean, he seems like a nice guy-”

“You know what I mean,” Lynn clarifies, “So do you?”

“Between all of us,” Gerard says in a hushed voice, “And this is not leaving this room, okay? But I think so.” The classroom erupts in chatter and Gerard rushes to quiet the students. “Guys, remember, you can’t tell anyone. Honestly, I don’t know what will happen if he finds out.”

The class responds in nods and “ok”s. At that moment, Gerard’s appreciation and trust of that class soars, but so does his confusion about his situation with Frank.

When the class ends, Gerard resorts to his chillout corner, complete with bean bag chairs and plenty of pillows. He sits himself down on one of the bean bag chairs, reaching to press play on his cd player, which is pink and decorated with various stickers. The sound of the XX fills the silence and he closes his eyes, rubbing his temples as if he has a headache. Gerard can hear students filing into his classroom, but he tells himself that he needs a minute to gather his thoughts. Gerard comes to the conclusion that he just needs to get his shit together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry but updates might be a bit slow, i have school and shit, but I'm definitely going to continue to update as often as possible. As always, comments are a good way to let me know what you think, or how you think the story could improve. thanks!!


	6. Chapter 6

Frank is packing his bag when he hears someone clearing their throat behind him. He turns around to see Gerard leaning on the doorway, looking slightly disheveled after a day of classes. Frank is surprisingly the one who blushes first this time, looking at his surprisingly casual black vans. Gerard is also blushing, suddenly noticing how frizzy his cloud of blond hair must appear to be. The both stand there in complete and awkward silence, listening as the air conditioner kicks in.

“Um.” Gerard says, staring at his shoes, which happen to be his favorite white converse. He has no idea what he should say, the whole situation is so awkward that he can’t help being embarrassed.

“Yeah.” Frank says, scratching his head, still looking at his toes. He doesn’t know what he should say, he’s just so embarrassed about what he said last night. Crossing his arms defensively, he switches his gaze to the blank wall to his left. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay, you were drunk.” Gerard says, still standing in the doorway, looking down. They stand in silence.

The clock ticks in the background, giving their conversation a soundtrack. Frank thinks that the ticking of the clock is annoying, just reminding him that he’s wasting time. To Gerard, the clock’s sound is kinda annoying, but also nice. Frank thinks that he would rather be anywhere but here. Gerard wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here, even if it was a bit stressful and awkward, he knows that it’ll turn out okay.

Frank shuffles his feet and says, “I didn’t mean to make it awkward.”

“It’s okay.” Gerard says, still unsure of where he stands.

“It really isn’t.” Frank says, “It’s not very professional.”  
“It doesn’t matter.” Gerard says, shrugging.

“And I’m sorry about what I said. Y’know, about liking you? I just thought, y’know, maybe-”  
“Maybe what?” Gerard asks quietly, “Did you mean it?”

“Well, I-” Frank says, stumbling over his words, “I don’t know, I mean I was drunk, y’know, like-”

“Well, I meant what I said.” Gerard whispers, meeting Frank’s eyes. Gerard cannot believe that he just said that and neither can Frank. Gerard’s heart is thumping loudly in his chest but he refuses to lose eye contact with Frank.   
“You did?” Frank says quietly, voice filled with disbelief as he approaches Gerard slowly, until they are about five feet apart.

When Gerard simply nods, Frank can’t take it any more. He quickly closes the space between them, bringing his lips to meet Gerard’s, who is surprised at the moment, but kisses back. Gerard brings his hands up, running his fingers through Frank’s dark hair, unable to think. His heart is beating so quickly that it’s got to be unhealthy, but that’s okay because so is Frank’s.

When they finally break apart, Frank says, breathlessly, “I meant it too.” He runs his fingers through Gerard’s disheveled hair and smiles. They remain standing there, grinning at each other for what seems like an eternity, but that’s okay with them. The way that time stands still is perfect, until Frank’s phone buzzes. At first, he ignores it, but after a while, the buzzing becomes incessant and he reaches to pick up the phone.

Turning away he holds the phone up to his ear. "Yeah?" He says, "Okay, okay. I've got to go now. Okay. Love you. Bye."

Frank turns to Gerard, "Sorry, that was my mom."

"It's okay." Gerard says, blushing.

"Yeah. She wants me to come over for dinner tonight. Says she's making italian food."

"Oh, cool." Gerard says, unsure of what he should say in response.

"Yeah. I can't cook and she knows it. And takes advantage of it."

"Y'know, cooking's not that hard. I could teach you." Gerard suggests.

"No, I mean, I'm just really lazy." Frank says, turning around to continue packing up his stuff. Gerard doesn't reply, so they stand in silence for a few minutes.

Finally, Gerard can't deal with the tension. "So. Um. Was that... I mean, are we... Um. Like, y' know?"

"I don't know." Frank says, "I can't be rushing into relationships. Especially because we work at the same place. I don't know. But I don't think so."

"I totally understand." Gerard says, a bit disappointed, but still happy, "I don't want to rush anything either."

"Cool." Frank says, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Then, um,  I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow." Gerard says, looking at Frank as he leaves the room. As soon as Frank is gone, Gerard can’t believe what had happened. “Holy shit.” He says to himself, combing his fingers through his hair. “Holy. Shit. That just happened.”

 

////

 

While walking out of the building, Frank tries to contain his emotions. Once he enters his car though, he covers his mouth and quietly exclaims, “Oh. My. God. Oh my god. What the fuck, Frank?”

For the next ten minutes, Frank remains in his car, shocked at how bold  he had been. Sure, he was usually kinda bold. but not _that_ bold. At least it didn’t turn out horribly. At least Gerard had reciprocated his feelings. If only they didn’t both agree that it could never work out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am soooooo sorry that i havent been able to write recently ive just been vry busy im sorry but i hope u enjoyed this


	7. Chapter 7

For the next few days, Frank and Gerard coexist with a slight tension between them. They occasionally bump into each other in the hallways and they sometimes say hello. They sometimes think about each other, they sometimes try not to think about each other. When they try to have conversations, it ends up in an uncomfortable silence. So, they opt to ignore each other. Until one day, in September, during Gerard’s first period class.

“So today,” Gerard says, yawning, “We are going to think about a new project. It has to be original,” He yawns again, “And I’m sure it will be amazing.” He thinks for a few seconds, “Also, I forget to get my caffeine fix today. I might go crazy. Sorry.”

A few minutes into the students’ brainstorming, a voice pipes up from the back of the room. “Why are you and Mr. Iero so awkward around each other? Did something happen?” Gerard looks to see that the voice belongs to Brendon, an irritating freshman who never shut up.

“What do you mean?” Gerard says, trying to lie, “We’re friends.”

“Sure you are.” Brendon says, “But like, seriously, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Gerard says, blushing, “This is art class, not ask-about-mr-way’s-life class.” But, he realizes that he needs to stop acting so damn awkward and avoiding Frank. But he isn't sure he wants to deal with that at the moment, so Gerard simply ignores it and continues with his class.

////

It just so happens that Gerard's car is in the repair shop, so in order to get home, he has to get a ride with his brother. So, when school ends, Gerard packs up his things and walks out into the parking lot to meet Mikey.

As he strolls across the cracked cement, Gerard sees another figure in the car, next to his brother. In addition to this stranger, Gerard sees Frank standing casually next to Mikey's window, talking to his brother. Curiously, Gerard meanders over to his brother's car.

"Yo! Gerard!" Mikey exclaims, "What's up?!"

"Not much!" Gerard says, nearing the car, just as Frank leaves, waving goodbye. Mikey motions for him to take the backseat and Gerard complies, throwing his bags onto the seats next to him.

"So, uh, Gerard, this is Pete, my boyfriend. Pete, this is Gerard, my brother. Cool? Cool." Mikey introduces them quickly as he shifts the car into drive.

"Nice to meet you?" Gerard says to the spiky-haired man in the passenger seat.

"You too!" Pete says, turning to face Gerard, "I've heard, like, _way_ too much about you. But like all good things, though."

Gerard laughs, "Thanks?" He pauses, "Hey Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"What did Frank say to you?"

Pete interjects, "Frank? Who's F- oh! Was he the dude who was asking us about-"

Mikey cuts him off, "He was wondering if he could drop off your shirt so I gave him your address."

"You what?!" Gerard exclaims.

"You're welcome." Mikey says.

"Oh my god. I'm so screwed. Mikey, what the hell?"

"It'll be okay, don't worry." Mikey says in a calming voice as he pulls up next to Gerard's apartment building.

"Okay. Okay. I'll be fine." Gerard says, trying to convince himself.

"Okay now get your ass out of my car."

Gerard gathers his stuff and gets out, "Bye."

Without another word, his brother's van moves out of sight.

////

As soon as Gerard enters his home, he begins to panic. Although they had brushed off any chance of a relationship between them, Gerard still _really_ likes Frank. The whole reason that Gerard has been avoiding conversation with Frank is because it’s awkward, knowing how they both feel. Knowing that he would have to face Frank, Gerard is overwhelmed with stress. This amount of stress has got to be unhealthy.

So, he throws his bags onto the couch and hurries to change into his painting clothes. Turning on his “creating :)” playlist, Gerard resumes a piece that he had begun earlier, splattering purple and blue paint all over his spare-bedroom-turned-art-studio. He is drawn into the intricate swirls and techniques involved in painting _whatever_ he is painting. It’s more of an abstract piece, not seeming too much like anything, but it seems almost birdlike. While painting, Gerard forgets about everything.

He is so invested in his painting that he forgets about Frank coming to his apartment. So, when he knocks on the door, Gerard can’t hear him through his music.

///

Frank knocks on Gerard’s door, at first cautiously, but when nobody answers the door, he knocks more. After ten minutes of ineffective knocking, Frank tries to open the door, and it turns out that Gerard had forgotten to lock his door. Following the sound of Vampire Weekend, Frank finds Gerard standing in the middle of a room, covered in so much paint that his black jeans don’t even look black anymore. Yet, Frank finds it strangely attractive, Gerard in torn jeans and an old shirt, completely in his element.

Frank clears his throat and Gerard snaps out of his daze, surprised that Frank is there. “Hey.” He says, confused on how Frank got into his apartment.

“You left your door unlocked.” Frank says, replying to the unasked question.

“Oh!” Gerard says, “I’m always doing that! Sorry I didn’t answer the door!”

“It’s cool.” Frank says, and they fade into an awkward silence, refusing to look at each other.

“I should probably clean up.” Gerard says, looking around the room and at himself.

“I have, um, your shirt. I can just leave it on your couch or something if you don’t want to get paint on it.”

“Thanks.” Gerard says, leading Frank out of the room and showing his where the couch is, “If you want you can sit here for a second while I get changed. I mean, unless you need to be somewhere, in which case, you don’t have to, I mean, yeah.” Frank sits on Gerard’s couch, placing the neatly folded blue shirt next to him. He just has to keep his shit together for a few more minutes, at least that’s what Frank tells himself.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sososososososo sorry i havent been able to post any updates recently school is shit  
> comments r a good way to suggest shit   
> k thnks


	8. Chapter 8

Frank remains sitting on Gerard’s couch for what seems like forever. However, during that awkward eternity, Frank discovers that he can learn a lot about Gerard through his apartment. First of all, there are assorted potted plants scattered around the room, on tables, on window sills, even on the floor. He also observes that each of these plants are neatly placed in uniquely painted pots, all different shades of pastel colors. Frank smiles, admiring the subtle artwork and the care that must have gone into each of those.

Another thing that Frank noticed were the various sticky notes all over every visible surface. On the table, on the walls, on the television, everywhere. They were mostly covered in barely legible handwriting or scribbles and sketches. However, they seemed to be color coordinated in a strange way, blue in one area, pink in a different area, yellow in another. It was rather confusing to Frank, who had never been organized.

When Gerard finally came out of his room, wearing jeans and a faded tee shirt, Frank was engrossed in a pink sticky note with a drawing of a cat on it, located on the coffee table. Hearing Gerard’s footsteps, Frank turns around and says curiously, “Why do you have so many of these?”

Gerard blushes, “I don’t know, I like drawing.” He shrugs, “I know, it’s kinda weird, all color coordinated and shit.”  
“No, it’s not weird.” Frank insists, “It’s different, but it’s definitely not weird.”

“Sure.” Gerard says skeptically, “Anyways, thanks for bringing my shirt over.”

“No problem.” Frank says, drifting off into awkward silence. They alway seem to end up like that, facing each other through an awkward silence. After about a minute, Gerard realizes that this is why they can never face each other like normal adults.

“We need to stop being so awkward. The students are catching on.” Gerard says out of nowhere.

“I know, I know.” Frank says, “What is wrong with us?”

“I don’t know, you’re the one who keeps being attractive.” Gerard says, despite that he was trying not to make his feelings too apparent, they came out anyways.

Frank is baffled for a second, but replies, “No, I think it’s you. It’s not my fault you’re always so fucking cute.” He crosses his arms.

Gerard is blushing madly, “Oh, you’re one to talk, you and your- your damn tattoos, or whatever.”

“You can’t expect me to act normally when you wear those fucking glasses!” Frank exclaims, exasperated.

“Hey, it’s not my fault I can’t see.” Gerard says, calming their conversation, “It’s genetic or something.”

“Yeah. I guess.” Frank says, “But that’s not the fucking point!”

“Are we seriously arguing about our attraction to each other?” Gerard says, again bringing a sense of calmness into their conversation.

“Yeah.” Frank sighs, “That’s so pathetic, holy shit.”

“I know, right?” Gerard agrees, their conversation falling into silence again.

“Why did we say that this couldn’t work out?” Frank asks, out of nowhere.

“Something about how it could never work out? I think?” Gerard says doubtfully.

“Oh. With work or whatever.”

“But like we can still be friends.”

“I guess.”  
“Yeah.” Gerard says wistfully, before they fall into another silence. But this silence isn't as awkward as their other silences had been.

It isn't long before Frank speaks, "So, um, you said the students were catching on?"

"Yep." Gerard says.

"Ok. That makes sense."

"Well I mean, yeah, we are being obvious, it's actually kinda ridiculous." Gerard shrugs.

"No, because the principle spoke to me the other day about chaperoning the Homecoming dance, he not-so-subtly asked if I would like if you would come too."

"Oh? And what did you say" Gerard questions.

"Well, I might have said yes. But y'know. It's not like anything could ever happen between us." Frank says with a hint of sarcasm.

“Oh.” Gerard says, slightly surprised that Frank even wanted to be around him. “So?”  
“So, the principal would like me to ask you if you could chaperone the dance.”

“Mr. Iero,” Gerard says, almost flirtatiously, blushing furiously, “Are you asking me to the dance?”

“If you want to put it that way...” Frank says, shrugging and looking at his feet.

“Sure!” Gerard agrees enthusiastically, his face still red, “When is it?”

“It’s actually this Saturday night. They were going to have Ms. Greene chaperone, but y’know, she has the flu. So you really didn’t have any option.” Frank says, crossing his arms.

“Well then, it’s a good thing I said yes.” Gerard says, picking up the shirt that Frank had returned. After a few minutes of them not being able to make eye contact or say anything, Frank begins to put on his jacket, which he had taken off upon his arrival.

“I should really get going.” Frank says, “I’m probably taking up too much time.”

“Oh- no, it’s absolutely fine.” Gerard quickly replies.

“You probably have other stuff to do, I do too, I should really go.” Frank says hurriedly, opening the door to leave.

“See you tomorrow?” Gerard inquires as Frank begins to turn away.

“See you tomorrow.” Frank replies, smiling and walks away from Gerard’s apartment.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sosososososososososoo sorry about the lack of updates. school is rlly getting in the way. anyways, enjoy!


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